Despite its undeniable influence on the genre, Resident Evil was not the first survival horror game. While under a different guise, the likes of Haunted House (Atari 2600, 1981) and Sweet Home (NES, 1989) had all the trappings of the genre; limited ammo resources, an emphasis on puzzle-solving rather than all-out action and a constant level of tension in staying alive, even back when all you had was limited colours and a range of sprites to fill the screen. But the first official example to coin the phrase was Alone In The Dark, coming a full four years before Capcom's seminal hit, adopting the isometric exploration that many future survival-horror games became so renowned for.

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However, it was the 1996 Resident Evil for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn that was the most defining example because it had all the hallmarks of a horror film. Lonely corridors filled with unknown horrors, unimaginable beasts and zombies that popped from monster closets, and perhaps most importantly, awful and ham-fisted dialogue seen in so many budget flicks that you've happily wasted cinema trips on. The live-action opening was absolutely awful, with shoddy cuts and bad acting, which was relayed directly in the voice acting throughout the rest of the game. However, the story of experimental monsters let loose in a mansion was generic but gripping. It also boasted a trademark horror twist at the end with team leader Wesker being a double agent for the shady Umbrella, the corporation behind the scores of undead roaming the deserted house.

Although it has since been dropped in later instalments, the tank-controls and static isometric viewpoints made it such a tense and truly worrying experience. When your controls (not to mention your ammo supplies and viewpoint) are restricted, it enforces the feeling of helplessness which few other games before had fully mastered. Coupled with a cruel and twisted use of direction where the viewpoint would switch angle at just the right moment to reveal a zombie lurking in the shadows, a sense of panic would take over. Who can forget the blood-thirsty hellhounds bursting through into the south-east corridor? It was all about preservation of ammo, juggling items with the save-room chest, and a constant longing survival against increasingly stacking odds.

The pacing in exploration of the mansion and its grounds, where you literally had no idea what or where you would go next, bounced perfectly from the nerve-wracking gameplay, even if it tended to adopt the much maligned restricted save system and regular backtracking approach in its puzzle solving (features of game design thankfully dropped from the industry altogether). It also cleverly introduced menacing creatures to offset the arrival of a more powerful weapon, keeping you constantly under threat; grossly enlarged spiders, a giant loft-crawling snake, pool dwelling sharks and the Tyrant were notable highlights, as well as the instant-kill Hunters that invaded the mansion when you return packing from the greenhouse.

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While the original set a lot of standards, Capcom clearly wasn't satisfied and the game has since become one of the most remade and reiterated titles in its library. A PlayStation exclusive Director's Cut, featuring completely changed item and enemy locations was released a year later, and in 2002 the GameCube remake completely redesigned the entire game from the visuals to the voice acting, as well as updating the story to account for later plot developments in the series. While the original looks scrappy and is filled with outdated design decisions, the GameCube version decided to refine them, but ensured that everything - from the controls to the save system - was still intact to give it a refresh lease of life. It's arguably the best example of the genre to date, focusing on the basics of horror compared to its sequels that upped the ante in terms of set pieces and glamorous locales.

It's a terrible shame that the survival horror genre is quickly evaporating: the arrival of the Resident Evil 4, with its adjusted viewpoint and focus on action over puzzle solving, has revolutionised the genre much like the 1996 original did, but as a result traded scares for accessibility. For those still left unspoiled by the orgy of tank-controls, grenade launchers and the vomiting undead, there's plenty of ways to play. The original and Director's Cut are available cheap on eBay (the latter being downloadable through the US PSN store) and the GameCube remake has recently made a reappearance on the Wii under the Resident Evil: Archives banner, showing there is no excuse to not have soiled underwear.

Do you have any fond memories of Resident Evil? Add a comment in the space below!

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